Is your hand worth another bid? by Bobby Wolff

A: 3♣: Although you are at the lower end of the range for this call, this hand is clearly worth a raise to three clubs, a bid that is somewhere between a courtesy raise and a genuine invitation. The raise covers both hand types, but you can easily see that a hand 5-5 in the minors should offer decent play for 11 tricks.

Your result so far:

A: 2NT: You may not have any guarantee that acting is safe, but your shape suggests that it is sensible to balance now with a call of two no-trump. This shows the minors, just as it would if you had bid directly over two hearts. Whenever the opponents have a decent fit, as they appear to have here, your side should have at least an eight-card fit as well, so bidding two no-trump carries very little risk.

Your result so far:

A: 4♠: Your partner has invited game, suggesting about 11 HCP and three spades. Your great controls and nice honor structure suggest you have enough to accept the invitation. Your points in your long suits mean that only your weak spade spots might give you a moment's pause before bidding on.


Your result so far:

A: 2NT: Does it shock you to bid a second time with "only" 5 points? I hope not, because balancing over two hearts with a call of two no-trump to show the minors looks very reasonable to me. Your partner must have been prepared to hear you bid at least one of the minors when he doubled. You may not buy the perfect dummy, but if non-vulnerable, I think the potential reward is clearly worth the risk.

Your result so far:

A: 1NT: While it looks normal to respond two clubs, I have been around off-shape doubles enough to be suspicious of introducing feeble minor suits when I don't have to. Here, I prefer the call of one no-trump, since when nobody bids the majors, I expect to find partner with both majors and 3-2 in the minors. If West has six running diamonds, he may yet bid the suit again and take me off the hook.


Your result so far: